A Birthday to Remember
by mangawolfgirl96
Summary: It's that time of year again, and another Grateful Party is here! Big surprises are in store for a certain birthday girl-to-be. Two-shot.
1. December 24th

December 24th had rolled around again, and another Grateful Party was in full swing, but, instead of the fairytale land which had hosted the party before, Lory had rented a ballroom at an upscale hotel in Tokyo, remaking the otherwise bland room into a wintry wonderland. And this time, Kyouko was banned from the kitchen. She was going to enjoy the celebration with everyone else, whether she liked it or not. He had a few enforcers too, who would make sure she didn't sneak off to help the kitchen staff. Currently, Kuu and Julie were keeping her busy while some of Lory's other little helpers prepared for the second half of the party and the surprises that went with it.

Kyouko chatted animatedly with her honorary parents about all of the LME happenings and her roles. It came out of the blue, for the birthday-girl-to-be at least, when Julie asked, "And what about things with your senpai, Tsuruga Ren-kun?"

Kyouko cocked her head to the side, not really understanding the question. "Just fine. We've been talking occasionally like friends do. Why?"

"Oh, just wondering," was the ex-model's breezy response.

Kuu wasn't fooled; he knew exactly why his wife had asked. He'd have to wait until Kyouko was out of sight before he high-fived Julie though. His honorary daughter was very perceptive despite her obliviousness about matters of the heart. She'd figure it out eventually and Kuu wasn't sure what the outcome would be. Knowing Kuon, they weren't likely to be forgiven. Now, if he could pin it on Lory…ooh, that would teach the man a lesson for the sin he committed on Halloween. The thought must've had him grinning since Julie hit his arm and lectured him about scaring poor, unsuspecting souls.

Ren was on the far side of room, watching his parents interact with his beloved. It made him overjoyed that Kyouko had found a niche within his family, even though it was a little disheartening to know that he hadn't played a major role in it by, say, marrying the brunette. Not to mention he would likely be disowned if he didn't end up marrying the broken-hearted woman. Ren let out a soft sigh, his hands tucked in his pockets. He just couldn't seem to win, could he?

Kanae was speaking with Hiou near the buffet. He'd hit a growth spurt recently and was up to her shoulder already. She was wearing three inch heels too. In six more months, or sooner, he'd probably be taller than she was. He probably be breaking a few hearts too if that strong jaw line was anything to go by. Kanae wouldn't be surprised if Hiou was working on a six pack too. He was from a long line of no-stunt-double action stars after all.

Maria fluttered from one group of people to the next, making sure everyone was comfortable and having fun. She paused briefly to be introduced to the Hizuris by her Onee-sama before hunting down Ren-sama to make sure no ugly, stupid harpies had swarmed him. If any had, they'd just bought a one way ticket to Hell.

Yashiro handed Ren a glass of champagne, commenting, "It's an hour 'til midnight."

"I see that."

"Are you trying to tell me you have nothing prepared?"

"Oh, I have something. The president refused to let me hold onto it though. Well, most of it."

"Most of what?"

"That is for everyone to find out on the stroke of midnight, my good gentleman."

"You're starting to scare me, Ren."

The tall actor didn't respond, preferring to look pointedly at the host. Who, in turn, rolled his eyes and gestured towards the balcony subtly. How he managed that in a suit of armor, Ren would never know and he wasn't sure he wanted to. He excused himself from Yashiro's company and made his way to the balcony, employing a few crafty evasion techniques to lose his manager in the masses of people. Ren's slightly ruffled hair was the only thing that gave away his brief exertion, choosing to lounge with his back against the cool, black iron railing. Lory had his back to the ballroom, glancing at his actor briefly before looking back to the stars.

"Is it ready?"

"Look for yourself."

Ren did, and was pleased with what he saw. "Will you be able to get the target into place?"

"That is up to you, Julie, and Kuu, but I have no doubt you'll be able to pull it off."

The younger man let out an exasperated huff, muttering, "I didn't want to be the one to push."

"Oh, suck it up, lover boy. It's your gift."

"I wanted to present it to her, but no, you had make up this elaborate plan. What if she hates me for this?"

"Ren, look down again. What do you see?" Lory asked, giving the younger man a knowing look.

He obediently glanced down, winced slightly, and turned his head back towards the ballroom. "You're right."

"Aren't I always?"

It was a quarter 'til midnight now and all those in the know were all but bouncing with anticipation. The target was going to be so excited and very shocked about what was to happen in just 15 minutes.

Yashiro dogged Ren, trying to find out exactly what he had prepared for Kyouko-chan's eighteenth birthday and what had he been talking about with the president. But the actor ignored him, engaging in conversation with the other guests whenever possible, effectively making Yashiro even more curious and giving him no insight into his charge's thoughts.

The hands on the grandfather clock against the east wall moved slowly, showing only three minutes 'til Christmas day. A light snow had started and Ren had exchanged a worried glance with Lory, who immediately went off in search of his behind-the-scenes helpers. Snow could either ruin the grandeur of the impending surprise or make it that much more magical. Leather traditional did not mix well with cold and wet, and they couldn't exactly put the cover up. That would cause an unpleasant bone breakage if they continued with their present plan.

The hands seemed to move faster and faster until there were mere seconds until midnight. The target, dressed sophisticatedly in a long sleeved, dark red dress, talked softly with her two companions; all of three of them smiling.

Thirty seconds, they were only feet from the balcony. Fifteen seconds, she was within a meter of the railing. Ten seconds, her back rested against the cool iron rail, preventing her from falling backwards. Five seconds, her companions—one male, one female—crowded closer, waiting for the signal to be given. Three seconds, the signal was given and the blonde woman winced ever-so-slightly as she set the brunette over the railing. One second, the target couldn't believe it. They wouldn't have betrayed her; purposely send her over the fourth story balcony. Her scream was caught in her throat, held down by disbelief and pain. They had been closet things she had to parents in twelve years!

The grandfather clock on the east wall chimed, announcing the arrival of midnight—a witching hour known for miracles. The target wished she would be the receiver of one such occurrence as she drew closer to the ground. To a deadly impact.


	2. December 25th

Merry Christmas, and I'll be wishing you a happy New Year when I post my New Year fanfic. But for now, enjoy the conclusion of "A Birthday to Remember."~MWG

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_Plop!_

...Was she dead?

It didn't hurt and the brief, yet painfully slow, sound of air rushing pass her ears was gone. The substance underneath her wasn't the hard cold earth she expected either. It felt…fluffy. Sort of cloud like, but it was more solid and cloth-like in feel than she would have anticipated. Cracking open her eyes, Kyouko slowly took in her surrounding, yelping when she began tumbling backwards. Okay, she wasn't dead. Okaa-san hadn't been trying to kill her. What the hell was going on then?

Her bum landed on cold, soft leather and she blinked at the steering wheel now in front of her. If possible, Kyouko was even more confused. Why had she landed in a car? A very nice, expensive sports car. Covered inside and out with fairies, nymphs, elves and the like…

"Do you like your gift?" a deep rumble came from her right.

Startled, Kyouko turned to face a hopeful looking Tsuruga-san. "This is mine?"

"Happy birthday, Mogami-san." He held the key, and its fob, out and a small, hesitant hand took it.

"You're giving me driving lessons."

"That was the plan."

Hearing her name called from above, Kyouko looked up to see Okaa-san and Otou-san smiling down at her. "Ren-kun, hand her our presents!"

Said man winced, reluctantly holding out two large gift bags—one gold and green the other blue and red. Call him a naughty boy, but he had peeked at the bags' contents. Kyouko would certainly be happy, but…he wasn't quite sure it would be a, uh, healthy sort of glee. It made him wonder which idiot had run their mouth. Ren'd put money on Lory, but he wouldn't count Yashiro out. He'd seen his manager pull his parents aside during their last encounter. Nothing good could come of the three—or four—of them putting their heads together.

Squealing in delight, Kyouko took stock of her presents: two dartboards—Shoutaro's and the beagle's pictures were labeled clearly with point rings—;20 darts; three of Okaa-san's latest dresses; a very nice, customized sports car she didn't know the brand of nor how much one cost; and being with the people see loved. Best birthday. Ever. Hands down.

Kyouko beamed up at her adoptive parents, promising to hug them once she could feel her legs again and get back up to the ballroom. She hadn't exactly recovered from the first shock of being _pushed_ _off_ _of the fourth story balcony_. That couldn't be good for the heart.

Shooing Tsuruga-san back, Kyouko opened the driver side door and swung her feet out. She tried to put weight on her feet and her knees buckled, throwing her forward. Her senpai caught her in time and helped her around the building to the elevator he had taken down two minutes before midnight. Ren had been part of the safety team who had been standing by to risk life and limb if something went wrong with the fall and/or landing. This occurrence—where she wasn't fully recovered from the fall—had been one of the few items not to fall on his list of complaints and reasons for objection since it gave him a good excuse to put his arms around the beautiful woman. And Ren could feel smug eyes on him. Damn, Lory probably had the high grade security cameras trained on them and planned to blackmail him with the footage later. Sneaky little bastard.

Maria watched two of her favorite people round the corner near the service elevator that opened to the kitchen. She had always known she'd never actually get a shot with her Ren-sama, but that didn't mean just any woman could have him either. Only Onee-sama was good enough for him, maybe even a little too good. They made a cute couple though: his long, strong arm wrapped loosely around her slender waist as the leaned towards each other, small hidden smiles lighting up their faces. She just couldn't imagine two people more perfect for each other. Turning from the balcony, Maria smirked softly. Phase two: Initiated.

Steadier on her feet, Kyouko stepped off the service elevator into the kitchen and somewhat hurriedly made her way through the several cooking chefs. If she stopped, she'd be overly tempted to help and the president would drag her out, scolding Kyouko to enjoy her own party. Suddenly something caught her foot, twisting her to face towards Tsuruga-san as she fell backwards. Arms pinwheeling, her mind frantically searched for something to grab unto to stop her from falling while a strangled cry built in her throat. Of all the rotten—!

Ren had dashed forward the instant he saw the white shoed foot stick out into Kyouko's path, and had managed to catch her before she fell. One teensy tiny problem. He had miss calculated how far she'd go down before he got to her and, um, their, uh, lips, err, sorta…met.

That was about the time both of the two poor actors' brains decided to short, leaving them stunned in a wide-eyed lip lock, as "What do you mean you forgot the camera?" was demanded rather irately from the door to the ballroom.

Oh, Ren—no, they were _sooo_ getting them back for this.


End file.
